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Message: [QUOTE="Nehanda, post: 27056, member: 2262"] ZimTrade has teamed up with Bata Shoe Company to help sell more Zimbabwe-made shoes around the world. This team effort aims to make local leather products more competitive against foreign goods. ZimTrade believes this partnership can open new markets for shoes made right here at home. The national trade agency wants to put Zimbabwe on the map as a respected source of quality footwear. According to recent studies, Zimbabwe can make more money from leather exports. A survey by the Confederation of Zimbabwe Industries found that Zimbabweans bought almost $4 million worth of foreign leather products between 2021 and 2023. This money could have stayed inside the country if local companies had made these items instead. Bata already sells shoes to nearby countries like Malawi and Zambia but struggles against cheap imports. Representatives from ZimTrade recently traveled to Bata's factory in Gweru. They discussed ways to improve the leather business and reach more customers outside Zimbabwe. ZimTrade mentioned being impressed by the variety and quality of Bata's products. Their new strategy focuses on helping Bata sell more shoes to Central Africa and other regions worldwide. Bata showed faith in Zimbabwe's economy when it spent over $5 million on new machines in 2022. They bought equipment that lets them make safety shoes locally instead of importing them from other countries. Bata managers couldn't comment right away because they were busy with meetings. Their work with ZimTrade shows they want to solve market problems head-on. The government launched a plan called the Zimbabwe Leather Sector Strategy, which will run from 2021 through 2030. This plan aims to change how the country uses its leather resources. Instead of just selling raw materials, Zimbabwe wants to create finished products that bring higher profits. ZimTrade works with leather businesses under the Zimbabwe Leather Collective name to market these products together. Leaders hope to make big improvements through this strategy over the next several years. They plan to increase production capacity for finished leather goods from 30% to 75%. Another goal involves helping 60% of manufacturers adopt green production methods compared to just 10% today. ZimTrade and Bata working together should speed up the growth of leather businesses across Zimbabwe. [/QUOTE]

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